GARY KRIST has written for the New York Times, Esquire, Salon, Washington Post Book World, and elsewhere. He is the author of the bestselling Empire of Sin and City of Scoundrels, as well as the acclaimed The White Cascade. He has been the recipient of the Stephen Crane Award, the Sue Kaufman Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Lowell Thomas Gold Medal for Travel Journalism, and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.
A Washington Post Notable Book of 2018
An NPR Best Book of 2018
An Amazon Best Book of 2018 "[Krist] marshals his considerable
storytelling skills to capture Los Angeles at a critical
moment...expertly weav[ing] together the stories of Griffith,
Mulholland and McPherson....But above all Krist is a nimble
scene-setter, and it's the indelible details he offers that give
The Mirage Factory its mesmerizing pull....You'll finish it
entertained, informed and satisfied, as well as ready for more."
--The New York Times "As a writer, Krist is a
dream-weaver...exquisite pacing and seamless shifting between the
characters allow their stories to connect....I've read dozens of
histories of the Los Angeles Aqueduct, and none are as viscerally
compelling or as clear in detailed descriptions of the complicated
machinations as Krist's account....Krist's book is so good that,
like the best movies, it ends up inverting the genre." --The
Washington Post "Krist draws upon some of the best books about the
era and its people, enriching them with a virtuoso deploying of
detail gathered from deep dives into the primary material...Watered
with imagination and invention, some mirages evidently can sink
their roots deeply into reality." --The New York Times Book Review
"Colorful and fresh...The Mirage Factory is great not only for the
wealth of obscure facts Krist manages to weave into his tale of his
three larger-than-life figures but also for the evocative word
pictures of old Los Angeles and Hollywood he conjures up...My only
complaint after finishing the book was: more, please." --LA Weekly
"The crimes of Los Angeles, in the hands of Gary Krist, have now
filled a fat, juicy volume....The Mirage Factory is essential
reading for the understanding and enjoyment of America's dream
factory." --The Philadelphia Inquirer "Engrossing...Krist serves up
intricate stories, rich period atmosphere, and colorful
personalities to capture the zeitgeist of this eventful period. The
result is a rollicking jaunt through L.A.'s early days."
--Publishers Weekly "[Krist's] dramatic portrayals of politics,
scandals, sabotage, and bombings make for a rich, rewarding
read....An entertaining, intertwined tale of triumph, hubris, and
Manifest Destiny in the city of angels." --Kirkus "A definite
page-turner for those with an interest in LA as the booming
metropolis we know today as well as the fascinating cross-sections
of the American West, biography, public works, water access and
scarcity, Hollywood and film industry, religious history, and
evangelism." --Library Journal "A revealing and often fascinating
exploration of the growth of a great city." --Booklist "Gary Krist
is a city whisperer as well as a brilliant writer. He shows the
soul of L.A. through the lives of three dreamers who helped conjure
out of a sleepy town the foundation for an improbable and
profoundly influential metropolis. A vastly entertaining and
informative book, even for someone who has spent more than half his
life here." --Eric Lax, author of Start to Finish "Gary Krist, who
earlier portrayed crises in early-20th century New Orleans and
Chicago, now vividly captures booming Los Angeles in all its
emerging glory. He does it through well-chosen and keenly-executed
portraits of three famous (and deeply flawed) evangelists--for
water, for motion pictures, for Jesus--who shaped the city we know
today." --Greg Mitchell, author of The Tunnels "A captivating
portrayal of the City of Angels, told through the lives of three of
its most colorful creators. Gary Krist has captured the moment when
Los Angeles became the world's most fascinating city." --John
Buntin, author of L.A. Noir
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